Visions Of The Past
by azara3
Summary: Epic little story combining all of my Slade theories. Raven's POV. Hopefully pretty clean. Side RobxStar, CyxBee. NO BBXRae! I love the pairing, it just doesn't work here. Read, review, but flamers stay away! T for language.
1. Quiet Days

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, or any of the characters, but God, wouldn't it be cool if I did?**

**This will be Raven's POV the whole way through, unless it says specifically otherwise.**

**The first couple paragraphs will regrettably be short, but they will get longer as the story progresses, I hope.**

* * *

><p>"Teen Titans, go!" Robin cried. We rushed out to meet Mumbo Jumbo, one of the few villains to escape from the big fight against the Brain. He monologued about how he escaped and whatever, and Robin, being Robin, let him, but I just tuned it all out. You hear one monologue, you hear 'em all.<p>

Finally, Robin went head-to-head with Mumbo, staff in hand, while the rest of us circled around, waiting for our turn to strike. When Robin tripped on a banana peel, which wasn't too funny or anything, his girlfriend took his place.

I try not to mess with Starfire too much for three reasons: she's one of my best friends, God knows she tries hard enough when it comes to Robin, and lastly, if she wanted to, she could almost certainly kick my ass. As if proving my point, she Karate Kid-kicked Mumbo across the face and shot him straight into a building with beams from her eyes. Fortunately for those of us who hadn't gotten to blow off steam yet, he got back up.

"Booyah!" Cyborg bugled, running up to meet Mumbo. He aimed a few light punches, missing intentionally to gauge his ground, then finally put his weight into one, which connected. Poor Mumbo went flying into the air, and Cyborg sent a sonic beam into his back. The villain flew into another wall with a crack, then fell to the ground in front of Beast Boy.

The showoff just had to outdo his buddy, so he went T-Rex. To his credit, I have never seen a villain's eyes get as big as Mumbo's did just then. To BB's discredit, he didn't even eat that phony. He chased him around, snapping at his heels like an oversized puppy. Despite the humor even I could feel about the situation, I decided to wrap things up.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" I chanted, sending my black rays like knives into Mumbo. They knocked him into the ground and pinned him there, helpless.

"Aw, come on, Rae!" Beast Boy whined, turning human(ish) again. "I was just starting to have fun!"

"Dig a ditch," I said.

"Build a bridge," Cyborg chuckled.

"And get over it," we both concluded.

"Team!" the Boy Wonder summoned, and we all walked to meet him. "Way to go, team. Starfire, Raven, excellent fighting style. You were both spot-on." Starfire beamed. Cyborg and I smirked. "Cyborg, Beast Boy," Robin continued, "could you have taken any longer? I thought you were just playing with him."

"Maybe that's because they were," I said. Beast Boy and Cyborg glared at me, and Robin glared at them

"Come on, Rob!" Cyborg protested, trying to defend himself. "We hardly ever fight real villains anymore. Just old simulations and petty thieves. Of course we were gonna have a little fun. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Yes, there is," Robin persisted. "Villains are always popping up all over the place, stronger than before. You'll miss these quiet days soon, and wish that you had taken me a little more seriously. Besides, I think you're forgetting one very important villain."

Silence. Then, from Beast Boy, "But Slade has been quiet for so long now. Don't you think-"

"I _think _we shouldn't just sit around and wait for him to make his move. Besides, have you forgotten what happened to Terra?"

"I never forget," Beast Boy said quietly, his usually boyish face clouded over. With a glare at Robin, he stalked away.

"You shouldn't preach, Robin," I said icily, "and bitching doesn't suit you either. You know as well as I do that we all want Slade caught and Terra back. Yes, even me," I said over his remark. "I want her back too, if only to keep that shape-shifting booger out from under my nose. Don't insult us, Robin, with no good reason."

He glared at me, but said nothing, which I suppose was something. I turned to Beast Boy to see if he was in too bad a shape, but that was when the vision came.

I went stiff, and, deaf to the voices of my friends, toppled face-first into the ground.


	2. Visons

I am in pain. Excruciating, obliterating pain. Voices, loud and hurried, passed through me like shadows. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew I was having a baby. I looked down to look at my pained body, but I was shocked to see it wasn't mine. The skin was tan, and the fingernails were painted a vivid red. No way was this my body.

"Ari?" a voice asked. I looked through my pain and saw the most beautiful man ever seen. "Stay with me, Ari. Stay with me." I wanted to reply, to tell reassure him, to tell him my name wasn't Ari, to tell him I'd stay with him anyway, but my mouth wouldn't move.

Then, a sudden grasp of pain, two high-pitched cries, the knowledge that I'm gonna die, then, nothing.

In the black that followed, I stayed aware. "Am I dead?" I wondered. "Am I going to heaven?

Laughter. Sick, inhuman laughter. I turned, and Trigon stepped into view.

"Please, daughter," my "father" laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. You and I both know heaven wouldn't take you."

"Where am I? What just happened?" I demanded.

"Why, dear daughter, I thought it was obvious. You just had a vision. The vision of your death."

I let that sink in for a moment. "Sooo, I just saw the future?"

"Nooo, you just saw the past," Trigon replied paradoxically. "You were once Arianna Day, a once-famous TV starlet, who had an affair with some businessman and died having his kids. He hushed it up though, thinking of your dignity, and gave up the kids to an orphanage. The boy was adopted too early to remember it, but the girl ran away to the streets to unlock her...potential. They were twins but never even knew it." He clucked his tongue impishly.

"But you, dear child, you had a spirit I had an eye on. You, I knew, could wield the power I laid upon you. So, when I learned that Arella's daughter was dying, I placed your spirit, which I kept for a few months, within her, and claimed you as my daughter, certain that you would not betray me." He paused. "Well, even I could be wrong sometimes." He shrugged his giant shoulders.

"Why are you telling me this? And why now?" I asked defiantly.

"Revenge, of course," Father said dismissively. "Against that traitor, Slade."

"What does he have to do with anything?" I asked, struggling to stay in the vision, which was fading to the shadows.

"Why, he was the actor you loved so much."

With a cry, my vision once again went to black.


	3. Revelations

"Raven? Raven, please, friend, you must awaken! You have been asleep for much, much too long!" Starfire's words echoed strangely through my mind, not taking root.

"Face it, Star," Beast Boy said from somewhere nearby. "She's either in a coma or she's ignoring us. And honestly, I don't care. It's not as if she paid much attention to anything." The only thing that kept me from ripping his head off was the slight tremor in his voice which told me he was just trying to be the Alpha Male again.

"Oh, please," I said weakly. "Just because I don't pay attention to you..."

"Raven!" Starfire cried, cracking my eardrums. She hugged me and gave me a matching pair of ribs. "We were so worried!"

"Calm down, Star, I'm fine," I managed. "I'm just a little fragile down here right now." She pulled back immediately, looking down with worry.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Shall I go find friends Cyborg and Robin?" I nodded and smiled, and she perked up and darted out of the room.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked immediately.

"Daddy Dearest wanted a word with me," I said sarcastically.

"What did he say?"

"I'm not sure how much I should say right now. Let me just say," I said, overriding Beast Boy's complaint, "that for the time being, Robin is obsessed enough." The changeling got the gist – for once – and closed his mouth.

Right about then, Robin showed up, Starfire and Cyborg at his heels.

"Raven!" he sighed in relief. "Thank God! Are you alright?" He leaned down to give me a brief hug, then moved aside.

"I'm fine now," I said. "Just a bit weak yet." I accepted Cyborg's hug with a smile.

"You scared us good, girl," he said in my ear, then stood. "Mind telling us what happened?"

"Trigon wanted to talk to me," I said nonchalantly. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg all shouted their alarm. "Don't worry, don't worry. It was nothing really," I assured them. "Just scare tactics and traitor trash." I touched lightly on Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy's minds to let them know there was more to it. Then I brought Robin's undone paperwork to the front of his mind.

"If you're sure you're alright, then I gotta get some paperwork done," he said. "I'll check in sometime later. Star, you want to come?"

"No, I wish to keep Friend Raven company," Starfire said, missing the very brief look of disappointment that flashed across Robin's face that the other three of us caught.

"Suit yourself," he said casually and walked off.

"He's into you," Cyborg said when he was gone.

"Forget that! ...For now, anyway," Beast Boy grinned. "What did Trigon _really_ say?" I told them all about my two visions, carefully not going into details about the pregnancy for the boys' sake. "Dude, Trigon sounded way different from when he was on Earth," Beast Boy commented.

"He was powerful then," I told him. "Only the weak need to be sarcastic."

"Why do you act sarcastic then?" he asked.

"Because it's fun to insult you," I rebutted.

"And he really said that in a past life, you were Slade's mistress?" Cyborg asked incredulously.

"That's what he said. I don't know for sure, but I think he was telling the truth. But I don't think he was Slade then. Or at least, if he was, he wasn't around me. That may have been why we weren't married, or whatever. He wanted to protect me."

"I believe I can understand what you have been saying, but there is one part I am unclear on," Starfire said. "How did telling you about this past life, this past relationship, help Trigon achieve his revenge?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself, Star," I admitted. "But until I figure this – all of this – out, you guys can't tell Robin. That would turn this into his Crusade, his battle, when this may turn out to be mine. I don't want the idiot hurt."

"None of us do," Starfire said sadly.

"So..." Cyborg grinned. "We get back to 'Robin is totally into you...'"

* * *

><p>By dinner, I was strong enough to move about the room, and fully use my powers. Robin let me leave the infirmary, but told me not to overdo it.<p>

"Since when does Raven overdo anything?" Beast Boy cracked. "Except gloominess, that is."

I, in turn, cracked him over the head, and was glad things were getting back to normal. We ate out at Paolo's Pizza, then headed back together to watch TV. As usual, Robin flicked on the news as soon as we got back. I sat on the couch to watch one of the few programs worth watching. The first bit of news was from Gotham City.

"Reports have come in just this morning saying that Bruce Wayne, famous owner of Wayne Enterprises, has gone missing." Robin sat bolt upright in his seat and stared intently at the screen. "He was last heard to be going on a two-year-long retreat in the Canary Islands, which is why no one reported his absence previously. Staff on the island say that Mr. Wayne often goes on excursions while he is there, which was why they did not note his disappearance previously. It was not until Clark Kent, reporter at the Daily Planet and close friends with Mr. Wayne, tried multiple times to contact him that he realized that Mr. Wayne was missing."

A handsome man in a suit showed up on the screen, and Robin narrowed his eyes at it. "My friend can be very unpredictable, and often goes where he pleases. But when he would not answer any of my calls, or show up at any of his usual places, that is when I began to panic. Bruce is usually very good about returning calls and keeping commitments."

A picture showed up on the screen of the man, but I was too busy watching Robin with some concern. His face was rapidly gaining color, and it was almost amusing, if it were not so dangerous.

"If you see this man, or have any idea where he might be, be sure to call this number." I looked up to see the number, in case we had to call it, and instead, got the shock of my life.

Bruce Wayne was the businessman.

Bruce Wayne was my lover.

Bruce Wayne was, _is_, Slade.


	4. My Babies

"Why didn't you call me?"

I sat on the couch in a daze, half-aware of my surroundings. Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all sat next to me, their gazes riveted to Robin, who immediately after the report, called the Justice League. He had not done so once in all of our time together, even though we all knew he could have without leaving us. I personally thought it was a pride thing, but pride could not hold back the fury on the kid's face now.

"I'm sorry, Robin," Superman said over the screen. "I didn't think you wanted to hear anything about Batman anymore. Since you left..."

"I left and haven't called because I wanted to do Batman proud, and to prove that he taught me well," Robin said in dangerous quiet. "I thought Batman told you this."

"He may have. Honestly, in the confusion that followed, I wasn't thinking very clearly. Bruce is, after all, very...vague when it comes to certain things. I thought it possible, probable even, that he told you he was going on a mission and would disappear for a while. I apologize, and I promise to keep you informed in the future," Superman said seriously.

Robin opened his mouth, as if to talk back, but Starfire laid a hand on his arm, and he closed it. Even in my daze, I could tell that Superman was highly amused at this.

"When do you think he first disappeared?" he finally asked.

"A little over a year ago. Really only a few months after you left, when I think about it. If you ask me, he knew he was going to be gone as soon as he departed for the islands. That's why he left two years out of the picture."

"But something went wrong," I said and surprised myself.

"But something went wrong," Superman agreed with a respectfully inquisitive glance. "We don't know what. We don't even know who he was after."

"I bet I know," Robin said darkly.

"Who?"

"Slade," he replied, and I nearly passed out again.

"He's not after Slade," I told him quickly. "There's no way we haven't seen him in all of the times we battled him. I mean, with Terra's and your apprenticeships? And serving my father? No way!"

Robin looked at me, confused. It's not often I panic, and I was definitely panicking. I took a breath, afraid Robin would see the truth.

"Sorry. Didn't meditate today. Not fully in control, I guess," I said weakly, then went back to sit down. Starfire looked at me worriedly, but I wouldn't meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry, but who is Slade?" Superman asked. Robin started to answer, but Cyborg stepped forward.

"Slade is one of the few villains here in Jump City we haven't caught. He is highly dangerous, and Robin sees him as his personal antagonist. Which he may be," he added to remedy Robin's rising fury. "Or possibly not. We can't forget Terra, who after all had nothing to do with you."

"No, I can't forget Terra," I thought to myself. "Where does she fit into any of this?"

"Thank you...uh..."

"Cyborg," he answered. "You just met Raven over there, and that's Starfire and Beast Boy over there. We make up the body of the Teen Titans. Robin, of course, being the leader and founder."

"Thank you, then, Cyborg," Superman said. There was background noise, then Superman turned back to face the screen. "If you don't mind, a couple of the other members of the League would like to say hello and meet your team. Would that be okay?" Robin hesitated, then nodded.

The other turned out to be the Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Black Canary, who Cyborg and Beast Boy drooled over, Starfire fumed over, and Robin, oblivious as always, treated like a favorite aunt. After she complimented my taste in wardrobe and Starfire's home planet, as well as commented on her her boyfriend, the aforementioned Green Arrow, she became everybody's favorite aunt.

"We'll let you know if we learn anything new, we promise," she concluded.

"And we'll do the same," Robin replied, then she hung up. "If I remember," he added darkly.

"Robin!" Starfire reproached.

"Well!" he said. "They kept information from me! They treated me like a kid just because I'm not technically part of the League. Just like the Doom Patrol!"

"Again with the insulting Beast Boy!" I spoke up. "Again attacking people who just want to help you! And not to burst your swollen head, Senior Leader, but you acted like a kid back there. If Cyborg and Starfire hadn't been watching your back, you would have looked like a damn fool a dozen times back there, and not get any answers out of it. So chill, and stay chilled!"

My powers flashed with my anger, and a lamp exploded. In the exploding lamp, I saw myself yelling at Melvin, Timmy Tantrum, and Teether, then at Terra, then back to Robin. I saw Robin and Terra standing next to each other, only with Robin's mask off. I saw their matching blue eyes. Their father's eyes. I saw my babies.

I gasped and staggered backward tripped over the couch and landing on the floor.

I saw Robin's worried face in front of mine.

"It all makes sense," I gasped.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, in case of future confusion: even though this is not Young Justice, it is easy to use the Young Justice version of the Justice League to tie in the story, with two Green Lanturns and the younger Black Canary, who was dating Green Arrow in Young Justice. Even though this isn't Young Justice, because neither focus on the Justice League, it makes finding a uniform League much less confusing. If you don't like it, deal with it anyway.<strong>


	5. My Plan

I was back in my room. Robin had banished me there until the next day, in the hopes I would feel better. I didn't mind too much; I had enough to think about, and I didn't think I'd be able to control myself if Robin was nearby while I thought.

"It all makes sense," I sighed from my bed, where I meditated. Trigon wanted me to kill Slade, which would destroy Robin for wanting to do it, and destroy me because I would have to do it.

_ I would have to do it._ I knew it, I think, from the moment I first saw Bruce, but forgot it for all the pains of, well, giving birth to twins. The question really was: How? How do I destroy a villain that the whole of the Titans can't even figure out? How do I find him?

It all made sense, right until you get to it.

Another question popped up: Did I even _want_ to kill Slade? Did I want to kill the father of my children, the most handsome man I ever met, the only man I may ever be able to love? Did I really, honestly want to do that?

Maybe, maybe... Maybe there was another way – _any_ other way. A spell, or something, to get rid of the evil. After all, he wasn't always that way. He was Batman! But in order to do that, I knew, I'd have to figure out what turned him evil in the first place. It's Mystic Arts 101.

In order to do that...I'd have to go back to where he became evil, or at least the last place he was seen. And base the investigation there.

"Canary Islands, here I come," I murmured, and dropped off into unquiet dreams.

* * *

><p>"No. No. Absolutely not!" Robin said. "You're not going to the Canary Islands. You're still healing! And how will you find anything the League couldn't?" It was the next morning, and I decided to propose my plan – part of it, anyway – to Robin, who was, as expected, not enthusiastic.<p>

"Hello? Empath here," I replied. "Besides, I feel fine. I meditated all last night and took a trip into my mirror early this morning. I'm in tip-top shape."

Robin glared at me. "Tip-top shape, huh? Did you get any sleep last night with all of that meditating?" I shrugged nonchalantly. Robin sighed. "Besides, it'll be extremely dangerous. Anything that could keep Batman hidden for this long is a force to be reckoned with. _If_ you go, you will _not_ go alone."

I shrugged again. "So I'll bring Cyborg or Starfire."

"What about me?"

I shook my head. "You're too emotionally linked to this. It will lead to rash, illogical decisions and missed clues. And Beast Boy, before he asks, will annoy me to the point where I won't get any work done," I added when the changeling began to protest.

Robin kept quiet for a moment, glaring at me, then sighed again. "I can tell you've made up your mind, no matter what I say, God knows why," he added. "Alright, alright, you'll take Cyborg tomorrow in the T-Ship. Stop by Titans East before you head out and see if they can spare Bumblebee or Aqualad. Radio me when you've picked them out and when you get there, to be safe."

"Yeah, yeah, Dad, we'll call," Cyborg joked.

Robin turned away, calling behind him to me, "I hope you have a plan."

"So do I," I whispered when he was gone.


	6. Questions and Answers

Bumblebee was more than happy to come away with us "for a day or two," she said.

"It'll be more like a week or two," Cyborg said.

"Same thing," she replied happily. "When was the last time we had an adventure together, Sparky? And the whole Brain thing doesn't count. And we haven't really hung out much, have we, Rae?" I shook my head, my head buzzing from her rapid-fire talk.

"Well, this is a chance to get to know each other, huh?" she said. "The boys can handle themselves while we have an adventure, I should think."

"I should hope," Cyborg laughed.

Once Cy and Bee were in the T-Ship with me, we took off straight away, "To make sure the boys don't come running after" Bee, according to her. As soon as we were at cruising height, Cyborg set the auto-pilot and sat back.

"Alright, Rae," he said. "Out with this story of yours, because I know there is one. If we're gonna come with you all the way to the Canary Islands, we gotta know why." I nodded, even though I knew neither could see me. I had expected this.

"First things first," I warned them. "You can't tell anybody without my permission. Not Star, BB, Titans East, and especially not Robin." When both agreed, Bee a bit hesitantly, I began my tale.

Cyborg stayed quiet the entire time, offering neither comfort or surprise at the news. I figured he probably already guessed a good portion of it. Bumblebee, however, gasped and eeped in surprise and sympathy every now and again. Despite her small noises, I soon forgot my audience in my effort to get it all out without losing control of my powers. By the end of the story, I was red-faced from the effort and struggling not to cry or shout.

But then I was done. I took a moment to breathe and regain my center, and the other two gave me that moment, saying nothing.

"I'm sorry," when I regained some control. "This is all very new to me."

"I don't blame you," Bee said immediately. "You had no control over any of this. It would be hard for anybody. I'm here for you, though, if and when you need me."

"What's your plan, though?" Cyborg asked quietly. "To go looking for Slade? That's looking for trouble, and worse. I'm worried that you may let yourself get too wrapped in the emotions, like you cautioned Robin against. Think about it. Wouldn't Batman or certainly Slade, set a trap in case someone came looking for him he didn't want to see?"

"I thought of that," I informed him. "Superman was already there, and I figure he disabled the traps he found, if any. He would've known others would come and look for clues. As for what I'm looking for, Superman didn't tell Robin, but I could tell he found something there that tipped him off once and for all that Batman wasn't gone voluntarily. I want to see that something for myself, maybe some of his files on villains to see who we might be dealing with. That's why you're here, Cy."

"What about me?" Bee asked. "Why did you ask me here, instead of one of the others?"

"For one, Robin said one of Titans East," I said. "Second, you've got experience in sleuthing neither Cyborg nor I have. It'll give us a unique perspective on the whole situation. Third, you aren't really connected to any of this. You're being dragged into it, but it doesn't really affect you. You can be my voice of reason."

"Sweet!" Bee exclaimed. "I'm reasonable!"

"Well, now that all that is set up, let's call Robin before he sends assassins after our heads," Cy said, and did so. Robin wasn't quite to sending assassins after us, but he was close.

"You got a plan yet?" he asked.

"A general outline, yeah," I answered. "Investigate, then act accordingly, but if you want details, we'll have to get there to get them."

"See that you do," Robin said loudly, then hung up.

"He's a bit...brash," Bee said hesitantly, and Cyborg and I laughed.

"That's one way of putting it," I said.

"Pig-headed, feather-brained, egotistic, fatalistic, and downright foolishly heroic being others," Cyborg laughed.

"You forgot clueless," I chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Bee said. "When it comes to Starfire, right?"

"Yeah, poor Starfire, having to deal with that," Cyborg said.

"And lucky us, for getting to watch," I laughed, feeling the stress of the past two days fading behind the laughter and friendship.

Finally, I felt normal.

* * *

><p>We arrived at the beach house at sunset. In the golden rays of the fading sun, the house looked elegant and beautiful, but still masculine and strong. It did, I supposed, fit Bruce perfectly.<p>

"Ladies first," Cyborg joked, bowing foolishly.

"Don't mind if I do," Bee giggled, curtsying with more grace. I didn't reply. The fun and normalcy in the trip was setting with the sun, leaving a tense, fearful night of dread. I took a few steps toward the house, afraid of what I would find there. I drank in the sight of it, but willed it to disappear.

"Come on, Rae," Cy said gently, taking my arm. "The leap of faith. I'm right here." I nodded, not able to speak, and he walked with me up to the house. Bee went to my other side and took my hand.

At the doorstep, I looked at the elegant door, and after a second, knocked on it. I heard footsteps, and the door opened. I started, because I thought for a second it was Bruce, but the door opened wider, and I saw it was the man from the report, Clark Kent.

"Hello, Raven, Cyborg," he said beignly.

"How do you know who we are?" I demanded.

"Excuse me, I forgot myself, " he said. "You met me before, over the phone. I am Superman." I opened my mouth, then closed it. At that point, I shouldn't have been surprised at anything I saw. "And who is this young lady?"

"The name's Bumblebee, one of the extended Titan family," she informed Superman confidently. "They asked me to come help with their investigation."

"Did they?" Superman asked, and for a second, I was afraid he was going to tell me that the League had it covered, and we weren't needed. "Well, good," he said at last. "We could use a fresh take on things. We've fresh run out of ideas. We only leaked the story to the press in the hopes that something would turn up that way, but nothing short of Robin has."

"Yet," Cyborg said.

"Yet," Superman conceded. "It has only been two days, after all. Still, most of the other members of the League have gone back to their respective cities already. I volunteered to stay and watch over the place with my wife, Lois Lane. You should come in, meet her. We were just having dinner."

"We'd love to," I said politely, and meet her we did. I liked her a great deal, and Cyborg liked her food more. Throughout dinner, we did not once mention Bruce, for which I was grateful. When the meal was over, we moved to the sitting room, and I knew the business had begun.

"Okay, I'll ask, but you don't have to answer, if you feel you shouldn't, or just don't want to," Clark said. "Why are you here?"

"Easy enough," I said. "We're here to look for evidence of what happened to Bru- I mean, Batman."

"Why didn't you bring Robin, then?" Lois asked from her seat next to Clark. "If anyone knows where to look for the man, it would be his boy. Robin was like a son to him." I felt Bee and Cyborg look at me, and I nodded.

"I got that impression from what little he said of Batman. I also got a much stronger impression that Robin would likely take the investigation badly," I said sadly. "He takes certain cases personally, and when he does, he obsesses over them. I won't go into detail, but some of his worst mistakes were because of that flaw in him. I figured that those mistakes would be very minor compared to the mistakes he'd likely make if he were to take this on."

"I think I understand," Clark said, nodding. "But why you three?"

"I have certain, ah, information that makes this case a little easier, though I'm afraid that for the moment, I don't know either of you well enough to be able to trust it to you. These two are aware of it, but they have sworn not to tell," I said firmly.

"I understand," Clark said. "I won't press you, I promise."

"Thank you. As for why Cyborg is here, he is a good friend, and a smart one. He can keep his head in even the most dire of situations, and I might need him to access files Batman may keep hidden even from you."

"Batman usually kept things secret for a reason," Lois warned.

"I know, and I won't pry into his personal business that's unrelated, but I still have to look." When Lois and Clark nodded, I went on. "Bee is my voice of reason and espionage experience in all of this, added to this team by the recommendation of Robin, and the Titans in general by Cyborg, who founded Titans East."

"Alright, this is my last question," Clark said. "When do you start?"

"Tomorrow, hopefully," I said. "I want to find Bruce as soon as I can."


	7. Kisses in the Canaries

It took a while. The research was hard, unsatisfying, and actually pretty boring. Clark got us a place to work – Bruce's office – and pretty much left us alone except for meals and phone calls from home. It was a nice set-up for some of the slowest investigations of all time. It took Cyborg two seconds to run face-first into one of Batman's firewalls, Bee was clueless about where to begin, and some forbidding aura hung over the building, which prevented all but the most basic of my magics. It took hours of meditation just to levitate a few feet off the ground. The only thing that got through was when I lost control, which I did on the third day from frustration, and that was too risky to rely on.

"Okay, that's it," I said, giving up after I shattered Bee's glass of root beer. "I'm done. The magic here's too strong. The only way to combat it is to find out what I'm up against. Cy, what you got?"

"Nothing, as usual," he groaned, running his hands over his head. "Batman's firewalls are like steel jail cells, only ten times stronger, and with less cracks. His encryption codes are so twisted, it would take a year to sort them all out, and his passwords are virtually impossible to guess. The quickest way to access this computer is to be Bruce Wayne. It might be the only way."

"Bee?" I asked. "You got a clue?"

"Girl, I got nothing," Bee said, mopping up the spilled root beer. "This place is so carefully set up, you can't even tell that it was careful. I look at this place, and everything in it, as a bachelor pad with some high-tech computers and TVs. Nothing seems out of place or even remotely suspicious."

"True," I said, pacing. "Nothing but the lack of suspicion. We know that something happened, and it probably started here. The powers surrounding this place could be suppressing any suspicion we might form naturally. The only way to get through to that would be to access the computer. I have a feeling that the only way to access the computer is to access our suspicions. It's a cycle that was very carefully plotted out, possibly by Batman, possibly by whoever he was after."

"I wonder what made Clark suspicious," Bee wondered. "Wouldn't he feel the same way everyone else did about this place? Batman probably didn't want to be found, after all."

"Let's ask him," I said, walking out the closed door of the office. We found him and his wife making out on the back porch. I knocked, averting my eyes until they surfaced.

"Come on out," he said, sounding perfectly unconcerned with the interrupted make-out session. I suppose when you're married without children, there's no real need to rush, I thought sadly. "What can I do for you?"

"We need to know what and how you know what you know," Bee said bluntly.

"We believe there is a force that suppresses suspicion," I added. "We figured that something besides unreturned calls tipped you off about Batman's disappearance, but we don't know how you were freed from the force. We'd like to know."

"Smart kids," Clark commented to Lois, then turned back to us. "You're right on both accounts," he said. "I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but it happened when I kissed Lois. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but it does feel like some suppressed instinct, the kind that keeps you alive in battle. You know the feeling?" The three of us nodded.

"I kissed Lois here, thinking everything was fine, and wondering if I could coerce Bruce into letting me use this island for a second honeymoon. The next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground, certain that my best friend was in danger. That's really all I can tell you."

"It happened right as I broke off the kiss," Lois added.

"Right when he was least susceptible to suspicion," I added. "The spell weakened its hold on him right then, but because he has done so much battle, the suspicion still came. As soon as it did, the spell over-corrected, making him pass out momentarily. But for all its strength, it could not erase the suspicion. It doesn't happen now?" I asked. Clark shook his head. "Probably because the spell is aware of you, and won't waver around you. I think in order to find out more, we'll have to re-simulate it."

"With who?" Cyborg asked, and I turned to him. He paled. "No, I will _not_ kiss you!" he said vehemently. I laughed.

"No, you won't," I agreed. "With all my meditation, the spell is probably on high alert for me, and I have to be able to capture your suspicion without passing out. Instead, I think, you'll have to kiss Bumblebee."

"What?" both shouted. "No way am I kissing _that_!"

"Unless you have a better idea..." I said, milking the moment for all it was worth.

"Well, no, but..." Bee said, trailing off.

"But nothing," I said over her. "If it is any consolation, you don't have to kiss more than once, and only until I get past the spell."

"Not much of a consolation," Cyborg grumbled, but turned to Bee anyway. I turned away and sat on the ground, and Lois and Clark watched fretfully.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," I mumbled, and after a moment, I got a little levitation going, which was promising. A few minutes later, I managed to enter and grab on to their minds, so the force of the spell wouldn't sweep me out. Cyborg winced.

"That's painful in a really weird way, Rae," he said. "You know that, right?" Bee nodded, looking a bit green.

"Just kiss, then, and get it over with," I said. "This isn't a picnic for me either. Just make sure you don't think of anything you don't want me to know." Immediately Cyborg thought of how he used one of my capes to wax the T-Car. "I said, don't think of anything," I growled.

"Sorry," Cyborg said sheepishly, then turned to Bee. "You ready? 'Cause I just want to get past this and get her out of my head." Bee still said nothing, just nodded again. I closed my eyes, partly not to embarrass either person and partly because the spell was strengthening on me again. I felt, rather than saw, the moment they kissed, which was surprisingly electric (and no, not a Cyborg/robot pun, I'm not Beast Boy). The next moment, the spell was weak, and I flung every ounce of my mental strength at it, and it burst like a bubble gum bubble.

I went hurtling into the darkness outside, and sank into dreaming unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>I was making out with a really hot guy. I mean, a <em>really<em> hot guy. His hands didn't wander, but my body longed for them to. I swayed a little and pressed myself as close to him as I could. He smiled into the kiss and nipped at my lip, then pulled back.

"Someone's impatient," he smiled. "I thought you didn't even believe in kissing on first dates." I felt myself smile at his perfect face.

"When the first date is his beach house in the Canary Islands, and he isn't even a spoiled trust fund baby showing off, the usual rules kind of give way," I answered. "Besides, we're both adults here. We can make a mature, adult decision."

"Do I hear emphasis on the word "adult," Ari? Is this really what you want?" he asked playfully, and nibbled and sucked on my ear. The blood rushed from my head, quick as a flash.

"No more than you do, Bruce," I whispered, pulling him back to the kiss.

"Then we better get started," he whispered back, grabbing me under the legs, and carrying me bridal-style into the house.

But then the dream – the _memory_ – turned.

"Well, if it isn't the little mistress, come to reclaim her lover," a voice, quiet and dry as a snake in the grass, whispered across my mind. "Sorry, love, he can't be here right now. He's a bit preoccupied at the moment. Don't worry, you'll see him soon...if you believe in the afterlife, anyway." Sick laughter wound its way through my exposed mind, leaving no escape. I writhed and pulled away, but the laughter grew and strengthened until it was like steel.

Just when I felt like I was drowning in laughter, in pain, I was brought into the light.

"Daddy to the rescue," I whispered, feeling his presence, then passed into empty, dreamless slumber. I felt his laughter there, cruel and threatening, and could find no healing in its wake.


	8. The Question

"Shouldn't she have waken up by now?"

"It's been a whole day. Should we try to wake her?"

Voices came clear all at once, but I stayed still, enjoying the warmth of the bed.

"You do so at your own peril," I heard Cyborg reason. "Rae's gotta wake up on her own time, else she's cranky as Hell. Besides, she might be having an important vision."

"But still," Bee said fretfully.

"We'll have to wake her up in a day or two, else she'll die of starvation or dehydration," Clark said.

"Alright," Cy relented. "First thing tomorrow, we'll wake her up, if she hasn't own her own already." Bee hummed softly and left. Cy and Clark followed her out, closing the door behind them.

I opened my eyes and sat up. It was a little past dawn, and I was very hungry. I pushed that aside, though, and began to carefully meditate. If I was going to tell the others what I saw, I would have to rid myself of all longing, grief, and fear. I would have to be a shell of myself. When I felt I was properly controlled, I pushed myself from my bed. I double-checked my restraints one last time, then left.

"She's still not awake," Cyborg was saying to Robin. "We're not sure when she will wake. We're gonna wait until tomorrow until trying to wake her."

"No need," I said, walking in. "I'm right here." Bee exclaimed and rushed to meet me. She gave me a bear hug, then fussed until she deemed I was properly seated.

She went to sit next to Cyborg, but because their attentions were centered on me, I couldn't pick anything up between them.

"You gotta stop passing out like this," Cy joked. "Or someone might think you're doing this on purpose."

"What did you see?" Robin prompted.

"Was it too upsetting?" Bee asked worriedly.

"It might not affect you too much, Bee, Cy, but it freaked me out." I wearily began the story. Because of Lois, Clark, and Robin, I made it seem like I was on the outside of Arianna, looking in. The voice did not call me a "mistress" or "lover," either. Cy and Bee picked it up when I touched their minds, but Clark and his wife kept their emotions hidden. Robin left as soon as the story was over, but I wasn't able to tell what he was thinking anyway.

"It was horrible, you know, knowing what I know," I said after a moment.

"I do not know what you know," Clark said after a moment, "but I do know that your story hurts a bit for me, too. You see, I knew Ari, at least, I think I do. What was her full name?"

"Arianna Day," I said, looking at Clark with a fresh expression. Did he know me before?

"I do know her, but I never knew she and Bruce dated," Clark said.

"Just like a man," Lois commented. "I don't think a woman at that party couldn't feel the sparks flying between those two. I just figured - as I'm pretty sure everyone else did - that it was a temporary thing, or a one-night stand, nothing serious. Bruce never did mention her again."

"Except - remember? - he went to her funeral. A full year after that party, he went to her funeral," Clark said.

"I remember Ari well," Lois said. "She was an intelligent, beautiful young lady who didn't take crap from anybody. It was so sad when she had that aneurysm. I went to her funeral too, and I remember thinking how sad it was that how something no one could control could just kill a girl like that, right when her life is just starting out. I'm thinking now how weird it is to go out like that without a soul knowing about her and Bruce."

"Maybe someone did know," I thought aloud.

"Like who?" Bee asked.

"Like whoever Batman was after," I said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch, but I think the villain worked for Trigon."

"How does this help us, necessarily?"

"Simple," I said. Now I know what questions to ask."

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, short chapter after a long break. I've got 9, 10, 11, and 12 written by hand, waiting to be typed up and published, so don't freak.<strong>

**Besides, if you think this was a long time, just wait. I can't post anything starting Nov. 1 (Tuesday), because of NaNoWriMo (look it up). But once December's here, I should be back on track.**


	9. Phone Call to Hell

I was on the floor in lotus position. I was surrounded by friends, and Robin, Star, and BB watched anxiously via my communicator.

"Are you sure?" Bee asked once again. "It's not too late. You told us how dangerous this could be. No one would blame you for backing out."

"I would blame me," I told her, and she pulled away. I closed my eyes and reached for the essence of my father. It was true that contacting the Pit could be dangerous, even if he called me. With me reaching, instead of being pulled, I risked over-extension, losing my balance, and toppling into the Pit with him, stuck there forever.

Even knowing this, I knew had to try to find some kinds of answers.

It was like digging on the beach; the more I dug, the more spilled over the edges of my hole to the bottom, only to be scooped out again. Finally, with an almost omniscient force of will, I managed to enter his psychic plane.

"Well, if it isn't my faithful daughter, come to see me in my lonely Abyss. How are you, dear Ravena?" Trigon schmoozed.

"Cut the crap, and the lies, too, while you're at it," I said harshly. "I've got a couple questions for you to answer - HONESTLY.

"What don't you trust me?"

"No."

"Smart girl. What can I do for you?"

"Just answer this: Who was Bruce after when he came to the Canary Islands?" I asked.

"You, of course."

"I meant the last time he came here," I clarified.

"You," Trigon persisted, and I forced my way into his mind. He wasn't lying.

"Told ya," he boasted.

"Explain," I demanded.

"Say please like a nice little demon," Trigon wheedled.

"Explain!" I repeated, and shot him hard enough to make him flinch.

"Okay, okay, pushy," he said. "He was after you because in a battle, he got the news about you being alive, albeit as a teenager, out of one of my more unpredictable servants."

"Who was he?"

"Perhaps you've heard of the Joker?"

"The Joker?"

"Yeah, the Joker. He was a very good servant when his insanity didn't run away with him, which it did when he told your little Batman about you. But because he was a good servant, I decided to reward him and help him finally defeat Batman. I gave him certain dark magics, including the pyrokinesis he now favors and a complex possession spell which at this moment is in effect over your friend's body."

"Possession?"

"Yes, yes, well, Batman went to the Joker, and the Joker possessed him, which meant that he had to pay my price."

"Law of the Underlords," I whispered. "What was your price?"

"That he prove his loyalty and control over the young Bruce Wayne by destroying his son and daughter, and helping you come into the prophecy on your birthday. He never fully finished with Robin, but you and Terra were complete successes! I was so proud of him when Terra became a statue."

"I doubt it," I said. "You betrayed him."

"Two-thirds is a 66, darling, and that's a failing grade. Besides, it's all part of the business," Trigon shrugged. "Robin was still alive, leading the Titans against me, thanks to you and Slade."

"So you just want me to take out your trash," I said, outraged.

"And you will," Trigon sneered back. "You have no choice."

I opened my eyes, and the wisest words Beast Boy ever said came to me.

"You always have a choice."

* * *

><p><strong>Papa, don't preach.<strong>

**I know it's short.**


	10. The Library

"I'm sorry to see you all go," Clark sighed, hugging Bee and me. He and Cy shook hands.

"It's been nice to meet all of you," Lois added, and another round of hugs went round.

"I'm sure we'll meet again," Bee assured them.

"I hope so," Lois said.

"Besides, there's nothing more we can really do here," I said regretfully.

"We know," Clark said.

"We'll keep in touch,"Cy said.

After a few more general farewells, we were off.

"Where to, Rae?" Cy asked, once we were in the air.

"Jump City," I said. "Specifically, the library where I freed Trigon. There's a book there that I found when I went to visit after the fact. It would be good to consult that first. We most likely won't be there for long, so it won't be necessary to tell Robin that we'll be in town."

"Fine by me," Cy said. "You wanna tell us now what Trigon said?" I did, and briefly told them my suspicions.

"All black magic can be combated by light magic. Light magic can unravel and remove it from play on a certain person or object. The same conditions exist with dark magic, only to unravel a light spell is to commit a deed of evil. Once you do, you are cursed. The only way to break the curse is to redo the light spell." I paused. "I undid a light spell when I freed Trigon from the Pit, which was why I turned young, forgot my memories, and lost my powers. Only in re-banishing Trigon was I freed from the curse." I paused again.

"If we can find the light magic used to undo a possession, we can free Bruce without completely killing him. That's why we're going to that library, to get the Book of Exorcisms, a spellbook for the light.

"The only problem is that exorcism is a pricey and exacting spell. Most standard exorcisms require very rare and disgusting objects, in order to usher all of the darkness out of the person and into something already tainted. This will be a hard spell to complete."

None of us spoke on the way home, so focused were we with our own thoughts and worries. I could occasionally feel Cy contact Bee without me, or vice versa, but I left them alone. I wasn't in the mood to tease anyone.

We reached the library an hour after sundown, before the world was completely dark, but a thick mist and foreboding shadows, laying here and there like skeletons, set the grim, forbidding tone. The library was never rebuilt, so rubble lay everywhere, and rats and roaches scuttled as they wished over the floors.

"Bee, keep watch. I've got a bad feeling about this," I said. She nodded solemnly and flew away. "Cyborg, help me," I continued. "Look for the philosophy section. That's where the book will be. When you find it, or need help, give a good holler." Cyborg nodded and clunked off. I walked more quietly in the opposite direction.

After a good ten minutes of scanning, and thinking the silence was going to drive me up a wall, I saw the section. I cried out happily and ran toward it, then screeched to a halt.

"Hello, my dear whore," Slade said, stepping out from the shadows.

* * *

><p><strong>I like short shorts! Do you like short shorts!<strong>

**I know, technically, that Raven brought back Trigon in a church or temple (or mosque, chapel, synagogue, etc.), but for the sake of the story, I made it a library. It seemed fitting.**

**SO GET OVER IT!**


	11. The Conditions

**Sorry for the wait. Nanowrimo took up all of November and editing/exam prep/Christmas crap took up nearly all of this month.**

**Corrections to be made:**

**I goofed and said Bruce was an actor, not a businessman.**

**I said in a note that the library wasn't a library, but it is a library.**

**I'm kind of sliding from Raven's character a bit, but I'm chalking it up to stress.**

**Anyways...**

**Back to da story!**

"Did you miss me, dear?" he asked, cocky. I wanted to slap him, but I couldn't move. He stood in the dead center of the philosophy section, blocking my path. His eyes glinted with a cruel light that seemed uncharacteristic somehow. Slade was always calm and composed, just as Batman was, but he now seemed unbalanced, as if his soul were teetering on the edge of...something. I wasn't sure what. Sanity? No, he was already insane. Control? Didn't the Joker have control over Bruce completely?

"Not in the slightest," I replied, gaining control of my emotions. I summoned some of Anger's strength, and pushed Fear and her friends into a corner, where they wouldn't bother me. "What are you doing here?"

"What you're doing, I assume," he chortled. "Checking out a book." He held up a book, and I gasped. It was the Book of Exorcisms.

"Give that to me," I demanded, snarling. "You have no need of it." But he only tilted his head to one side, and I imagined him smiling, though of course, I couldn't tell.

"But of course I have need of it," he replied conversationally. "My fireplace needs a dusty tome like this to get it started. I figure it would be better than anything else in this place."

"Find another, then," I growled, and Anger took over for a brief second. "I need that one."

"Sorry, little miss slut," he growled back. "You'll have to fight me for it."

"If you insist," I replied, and grabbed the nearest book off of its shelf. I hurled it at him, and he ducked easily. He laughed and would have surely made some stupid remark if I hadn't used the opportunity to grab the book with my black aura. His eyes turned and he yanked the book away, breaking my connection. He ran to me and kicked me in the gut, sending me back into the bookcase behind me, sending it to the floor in a crash.

Clunking footsteps, and Cyborg was right beside me, looking down at me with concern. I waved him off and stood, eyes flickering red and black as I struggled not to lose complete control. I launched myself at Slade and the book with everything I had, physically and mentally. He leaped above me and flipped mid-air, landing fleetly and looking over his shoulder at me. This opened him up to Cyborg's sonic blast, which hit him square in the gut. He flew into another bookcase, which knocked into a wall with a bang.

I leaped for the book, but he caught me by the neck. He held me to his face, and Anger fell away at the fury in his own face. He launched me back, crashing into Cyborg.

"You honestly think to stop me?" he asked. "You honestly think you can? You are nothing, either of you. Cyborg, you're just a sad excuse for a living being who should have died a long time ago. You think you cheated death by betraying your own kind. You think you escaped him, became immortal, just because you added a few extra parts. You didn't. You just mutilated yourself. You are a freak, and you have no right to life." I looked at my friend with concern, but he seemed unaffected by this impassioned speech.

"As for you, _dear_ Raven," he continued. "You have less right than your metal friend here. At least he was once human. You are a demon, and freak of nature, a nobody. You are nothing, so you seek to seduce the humans to gain attention, only to betray them and the whole human race. You are a bitch, a waste of life. You are nothing. You are nothing. You are _nothing_!"

"I beg to disagree," a voice, cold and calm, stated from somewhere behind him. He turned to the side, revealing Bee, Robin, Star, and Beast Boy. Star let loose a series of starbolts, knocking Slade to his back. Bee flew up to him swiftly, struck him across the head before he could react, and took the book. She nodded to Robin, who ran forward and began attacking his father. Instead of attacking back, Slade jumped back, looking anxiously for the book he'd held seconds earlier. But it was too late. I had it, and waved it at him.

"Too late," I called to him. He snarled and lunged for me, but I flew back and shot a series of books at him. He jumped back almost impossibly high, and landed on a high bookshelf. "It's over. You've lost the book. And once I complete the spell, you will have lost everything."

Slade surprised me by laughing, cold and clear. Fear gripped my heart, and a book spiraled into the air, never to be seen again. Was Joker taking over? Was Bruce giving up? Going insane? Dying? But the laughter ended quickly, replaced with unshakeable arrogance.

"Foolish girl, you can't even begin to complete that spell!" he laughed.

"Then why didn't you want me to have it?" I challenged him.

"I didn't want to get your hopes up, of course," he schmoozed. "After all, I take care of my prostitutes."

"I am not your hooker," I said. "Now get lost, or I will end you where you stand."

"Dearest, you wouldn't have the guts." Despite the jeer, he leaped into the air, and vanished seconds later. I stared after him in mixed anger and exhaustion. Why wouldn't he just give up already? It would make things easier on everyone. I turned to Robin, who seemed to be shaking from rage that Slade escaped. Azar only knew how much easier things would get for Robin if Slade gave up. How the Hell was I supposed to tell him about all of this?

"You got it, Rae?" Cyborg asked, and I was pulled from my reverie. I nodded and walked to meet him and the others. Robin was only getting redder and redder in the face, but I couldn't decide if it was funny or scary.

"Do you mind explaining to me why you did not tell me you were coming back?" he asked in a deadly calm. I flicked my hood up to buy me time. I hated when he used his interrogation voice.

"It was intended to be a brief stop-through," I explained. "We did not believe we would in town long enough to actually visit."

"You still should have called," he said, but he let it go, and I relaxed. "What's the book for?"

"It should contain a spell that can defeat Slade for good...without killing him," I added for good measure. "I'm afraid I can't go into too much detail, but you just have to trust me on this one." He nodded. I looked down at the dusty thing, walked over to the nearest standing table (a good thirty yards away), and opened it up. The others waited patiently, murmuring greetings to one another quietly, but I ignored them. The book was in a mixture of Latin and Ancient Sumerian. I was fluent in both, but I was slower reading them then I was in English. Soon enough, though, I found the page, and began to slowly read it. It wasn't long before I saw why Slade was so sure of my failure.

Both of his children were needed to say the chant with me.

I needed Terra back.


End file.
